Dublin's Googleplex swells

Ireland's Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheal Martin is expected to announce 500 new jobs at Google's European headquarters in Dublin.

It is understood the new positions will be concentrated in Google's increasingly successful Adwords programme, as well as at the internet giant's finance, engineering, and human resources departments, according to reports.

The new jobs will bring Google's Irish-based workforce to around 1,300 over the next two years. The company is expected to sign a lease for a further 100,000 square foot of office space next to its European headquarters on Barrow Street in south Dublin, where building work has been underway for several weeks.

Local residents told ENN they have observed what appear to be solar panels being taken into the "Googleplex" as part of ongoing renovations at the site.

Currently around 800 staff are employed in the Dublin HQ in a range of administrative, financial, advertising, support, and sales jobs. Many provide multilingual support to Google customers throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The Barrow Street building was originally opened with 100 staff in 2004 by the then Tanaiste Mary Harney as part of a long-term renovation of the area in conjunction with IDA Ireland and the Dublin Docklands Development Agency.

Google's European headquarters was the first operations centre the Mountainview firm established outside of the US. At the launch of the new HQ two years ago, Sergey Brin, one of Google's founders, described Dublin as "an amazing place with incredibly talented people".

The Irish connection has yielded some benefits for Google already. Last year, it was reported that Google was using a network of Irish companies to cut its tax bill, dropping its effective tax rate from 39 per cent to 31 per cent. This translated into a saving of €100m a year.